Black Mesa Incident
Introduction The first installment of the saga introduces us to Black Mesa, a government-backed American research corporation based in the New Mexico desert. Research and practical application of all fields is undertaken within their facility: radiation, rocketry, theoretical physics, lasers, experimental propulsion, hydraulics, robotics, hydroelectricity, genetics, zoology, applied mathematics, and most importantly to our story, teleportation technology. While developing and testing such technology, Black Mesa discovered the existence of an alien "border world" known as Xen. Xen Survey Teams were sent into the area to capture flora and fauna of the area to be brought back for analysis, such as headcrabs, bullsquid, houndeyes, barnacles, light stalks, and so on. Surveying eventually culminated with the retrieval of several Xen crystals. GG-3883, designation of the largest and purest crystal at their disposal, was selected to be studied in a room-spanning anti-mass spectrometer in a sudden and protocol-breaching shift ordered by Administrator Wallace Breen who, in addition to this, ordered a power boost of the spectrometer to 105% to "garner better data." Resonance Cascade As soon as the crystal is inserted into the spectrometer, it's main beam focused on the object begins to violently pulsate and expand: expanding every which ways across the testing room in a new green light. The majority of the science team is killed in the event as they attempt to shut it down. A resonance cascade, a disruptive and physically dangerous energetic event which rips open holes in the dimensional fabric of reality, occurs and teleports Xen creatures into the facility. The creatures lash out in their new environment and bring the facility to it's knees within the hour. Scientists make their way to the surface of the facility and relay the event to the United States Armed Forces, who in turn dispatch their specialized Hazardous Environmental Combat Unit (HECU) to contain the facility. Ground troops, ordnance, and vehicles are sent to quell the alien insertion and eliminate Black Mesa employees to avoid the public disclosure of the catastrophe. Aftermath HECU begins it's annihilation of the facility's staff and attempt to combat the alien threat. Almost all Black Mesa personnel are exterminated, with exceptions such as Administrator Wallace Breen, Dr. Eli Vance, Dr. Isaac Kleiner, and so on. Seeing their losses rising above a thousand within hours of insertion, HECU is ordered to withdraw as a black ops team is sent to insert a Mark IV thermonuclear bomb to destroy the facility and anything in the surrounding area. The device is planted amidst the three-way war between Xen creatures and any remaining HECU/Black Mesa personnel. It's destruction wipes out any immediate evidence of the battle. The inter-dimensional rift causes portal storms to spring up worldwide in in the wake of the Incident. The invasive species of Xen initially fled from Black Mesa to roam the state into backwater towns such as Brimstone before eventually crossing state lines, but would be brought en masse internationally in the storms. These fluctuations would quickly ravage the world, causing humanity to withdraw into fortified cities while armed forces attempted to battle them. The massive dimensional fluctuations eventually drew the attention of the Combine, who would invade and subjugate Earth.